Tuesday, January 26, 2016

This book is a bunch of shorter reads now made into a compilation showing the journey of Cam and Ellie. It is complete and standalone, although I think there are some auxiliary novels that I haven't read in the series. There might be spoilers in my review along the way because it was impossible to talk about all 4 books without discussing the endings of the previous ones. Sorry!

Ellie is out of options when she shows up at Cam's work. She has lived her entire life with a shadow that is separate from her body. Her life has been spent outside of regular society because who could explain a naked shadow of yourself doing all the things you secretly want to do. It is literally a manifestation of her inner self. Uncontrollable and separate, Ellie is desperate enough to try the shadowy institute where Cam works to try to sever the ties. In the first installment, we watch Ellie struggle interacting with even more than one person at a time. We also get to see Cam go out of his way to protect and understand Ellie. What they both believe is Shadow (i.e. Fae) related ends up being something that Ellie may just have to live with and accept. There are angels, fae, wraiths, and all sorts of other goodies lurking in this new world and Ellie just might be one of the strongest.

In the second book we watch the couple continue to grow together. Ellie is now a member of the group, but she is struggling to find her place with Cam and the others. Her shadow, now linked, is only just starting to accept her new place as well. By employing the couple in an investigation to save a child, Ellie and Cam are pushed to the limit and changes occur that cannot be undone. At the end, they are made stronger by their choices and where this journey has taken them.

By book 3 we get introduced to mages who are pretty much the big bad now. They've slaughtered innocents and are still protected by their archaic rules. Cam and Ellie are identified as the two most likely to hunt down their friend's killer while maintaining the peace between the races. Well... they fail pretty spectacularly, but where would we be for book 4 if they all hugged at the end?

In book 4 we are totally at war. The mages are still sort of hiding their involvement in the attacks, but it's all pretty obvious. As things are rapidly escalating, the group is forced to either step up and fight or get killed. With their options dwindling, Cam and Ellie are once again tasked with stopping this war. Their relationship is put to the test and we (thankfully) get rewarded with a great HEA for these two.

This was a quick standalone read with lots of sizzle and that took place in a neat world. Carson is a singer who has worked her way up to internet famous. She's fairly shocked when she gets a gigantic job offer to sing for a well known (but secretive) band. Even if the offer didn't come from an incredibly tempting man, she'd still jump at the chance to sing with them.

Marek offered Carson the job and hoped she would enter his life on a more permanent basis. His bear knew that she was the one almost at once. He knows that it goes against what everyone else wants, but he can't help be captivated by the mortal singer. They get off to a big of a rocky start because it seems like danger just can't help but surround him. Luckily, she endures and these two are stuck in a house in the middle of nowhere for long periods of time. The sparks fly and if they can both get over their fears, they'll be a couple to be reckoned with.

Scarlett has played second best for most of her life. Her love life is no exception and she's been content to accept what she's given until her current "boyfriend" finally pushes her too far. Now, on her own and determined to live for herself, she gets dragged by her girlfriends to what they sell her as a getaway but is really just an upscale matchmaking resort.

Kurt is the broody and depressed bear shifter who has reluctantly decided to go to the same resort. His pack begged him to accept so they could at least get a free fancy vacation out of the deal. He'd do anything for his pack, so he suffers through a trip to the bar and sneaks off at his first chance. Turns out, Scarlett had the same idea. These two really really quickly fall into each others arms (thanks, alcohol) and discover that this vacation might not be so bad after all.

This was a quick, standalone read that could be enjoyed without any knowledge of the author's previous work. If you're into smutty paranormal reads, you won't be disappointed here. You get a nice and tidy HEA.

Saturday, January 23, 2016

This first book in a new series sets the stage for an interesting world. There are werewolves with different abilities, vampires who can be either born or turned, and New Orleans appears to be ground zero for a war between the two races.

Jane is a detective who gets caught up in the war without even realizing it. She's just trying to do her job, investigating a murder where the victim was bitten. Suddenly, nobody seems to remember her case, the victim, or any of the circumstances. All of this is somehow tied to the very predatory Aidan Locke. He tries to work his mojo on her but fails somehow, leading to so much more trouble. Aidan is the alpha of New Orleans and he has never had trouble he couldn't fix until Jane comes around.

These two are stubborn, combative, and suspicious of each other at every step. Somehow they manage to become a pretty strong couple. Even with all the odds against them, we end up with a solid HEA for this steamy duo. There's a steady stream of action, smut, and paranormal beasties that keep this book moving and a steady clip throughout. It was a good intro to an interesting new world.

This couple had a really tough go at it. We meet Elizabeth on her way into town. Admittedly, I must've missed the story that introduced this couple and showed their love story from the beginning, but it really didn't impact my enjoyment of this book. Elizabeth is trying to go on living her life but has tons of questions about why Trent up and left her without explanation. After his horrible reaction to her buying the law practice in his old hometown, she figures that's the safest place to reevaluate her life and get back on her feet again.

Trent has been punishing himself since... pretty much the Jenna incident. It took me a little bit to remember exactly who Trent was (he plays a minor role in the series previous to this), but once I did, I kind of understood his difficulties in this new relationship. He thinks he isn't worthy of love, and it really shows. Oh, and he's got an abusive, alcoholic mother to take care of and get into rehab. This is a very sad story, especially from Trent's perspective.

Elizabeth doesn't really know Trent's history and that just makes it even harder for him to get through to him. Even when the two are forced to live under the same roof, it is almost like they're still miles and miles away. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to get this couple back to HEA territory and it happens in a pretty surprising way. We get a bunch of characters from previous books, so it would really benefit to read these books in order, but I'm sure you could muddle through if this was your first read by this author. This world is always wonderful to come back to and I appreciate all the interconnected storylines.

Saturday, January 16, 2016

This book was a beautiful read. It gave me the YA goodness I love, some gritty grief-filled pages, a healthy dash of teenage romance, and an interesting paranormal twist. I am already in love with Cady and have only read book 1 in the series.

Cady has just lost her twin sister in a most horrible way. While her sister was dying, Cady was thrown into a coma brought on by actually experiencing the horror her sister was going through. She dismisses it as trauma and pushes it to the back of her mind in order to handle the reality of her sister's death. I have to say, the descriptions of the funeral, Cady's feelings, her family's strain - if you've ever gone through losing a loved one, this will bring all of the emotions right back for you. The descriptions were very real and very moving. Cady truly struggles to find a way to move forward and even get back to school until she connects with Bryan. He's a friend she just made prior to the "incident" and he is the only one who can truly know what she's going through. These two have an instant connection that gives you all sorts of YA-ooey-gooey feelings.

Oh, and aside from the drama of losing a sister, handling her family falling apart, and having a crush, Cady is also struggling to handle an overload of emotions anytime she gets near anyone. While we only start to see the beginnings of what could be a colossal power, even that glimpse is enough to wonder what's in store for the future of Cady and her complicated world. This book was certainly only the start of her journey and I eagerly look forward to diving into book 2!

Throw a matchmaker and a PI who follows cheaters together and you know you'll get trouble. Josie is the premier matchmaker with a ridiculous success rate. She has recently matched her sister up with her perfect match, now they've just got to get down the aisle. Unfortunately, the groom's best man, Ryder (the PI in question), is determined to stop the wedding until the groom shares his deep dark secret. It would be hate at first meeting ordinarily, but the sizzle between these two enemies is insane!

Josie is not one for taking huge chances. Sure, she matches people based on her gut instinct but she isn't willing to do the same for herself. Even though all signs are pointing towards a passionate romance with Ryder, she fights it with all her might. Ryder is also a stubborn fool. He doesn't feel like he is worthy of a mate who is not a werewolf. He's been burned before and it has left him pretty broken. These two can't seem to stay away from one another in the end and we ultimately get a hard won HEA. While the road was a little bumpy at first, the read itself was completely enjoyable. I always find it hard to put books by this author down. They have a fun, sassy side that I really like.

I haven't read the rest of the series (just a prequel) but I don't think it was hard to jump into the world of these biker werewolves at all. Jace is your typical caveman biker dude who is crass and rough. Keelie Sue is the abused daughter of the pack alpha that Jace has been covertly tasked with watching for his brother. At first Jace doesn't have designs on being alpha of any pack (let alone a bunch of raping, stealing, killing animals), but all that changes as he watches the world that Keelie Sue is trapped in.

These two don't really have a romance exactly. This story definitely straddles the consent line a little bit here and there. If that bothers you, be warned - aside from the bondage and general gruff nature of the smutty scenes, Keelie Sue was previously force-mated to another of her father's packmates. We do get to see a slightly less angry and broody side of Jace as he does his own version of romance, but if you're expecting flowers and chocolates you will be disappointed. These two somehow end up giving a HEA of their own kind, complete with leather and motorcycles.

This book was about a woman who meets her new stepbrothers, finds out they are dragons, has her house destroyed, and ends up mated. Sounds simple enough, right?

It felt like there was definitely something missing in this book. I liked the premise and don't have a problem with smutty paranormal reads (check out my reading list and that's 90% of what is on there). What I didn't enjoy was the rushed nature of the book and the lack of real engaging moments. We meet Holly and get a resume of who she is, then she decides to take revenge on her stepbrothers really quickly for something I didn't quite understand, then they meet, there is a gang (?), there are dragons... it goes on and on without really engaging the reader. I'm all for hopping right to it, but I didn't know how to even feel about the main character.

I'm sorry I couldn't say more good things about this book. Seeing the description made me request it but it didn't really deliver.

After meeting Carys in the previous book (not counting the short), I wasn't exactly sure what to expect here. She seemed like the rich kid who was slumming it to get attention at first. This book managed to make me really root for this couple of crazy kids and their doomed romance.

Carys is in love with a cage fighter. This is clearly a recipe for disaster but it seems like Rune (said cage fighter) is in love with her too. He sure is a mystery and we all know that secrets are bound to blow up eventually. The two of them are so passionate and excited about their relationship that they are still working out the real life of them being together. Rune doesn't want to taint what they have by sharing his past and, of course, it ends up being kind of relevant to the events that the Breed is experiencing.

Rune past ends up being a bit of a surprise to me. There's oodles of connections that clearly had been planned in advance that I didn't predict at all. I won't spoil it so everyone can get to appreciate it as much as I did. Yes, it was super frustrating that Rune wouldn't just tell Carys what he was hiding (and thus avoiding tons of drama, pain, and heartache), but I guess that's how we get an engaging story. I thought this would be a simple Romeo & Juliet tale but it really grew into something bigger. I liked seeing Carys kick butt and own her destiny in the end.

I've read the rest of this series, so it was inevitable that I would also pick up the short stories associated. The world is addictive and fast-paced and this story is not different. What starts as a peaceful meeting between two opposing sides quickly escalates into something bigger.

Lazaro is the angsty man at the center of the story. He lost his family and Breedmate (wife) in a horrible massacre years ago but has been unable to even think about committing to another. Seems that he's on the road to lonelyville until an unscheduled attendee decides to attend the peace talks. Melena is the daughter of the Breed member of the talks and she has seemingly accompanied her father to act as translator. What Lazaro doesn't know is that her father's feeling of paranoia has been almost crippling, leading him to second guess even coming to the table. It all seems silly... until it doesn't.

The bad guys in this story come in the most unlikely of places at the most unlikely of times, leaving Melena and Lazaro with no choice but to trust one another. Trust leads to something more, but first Lazaro has to get over himself. This coupling was passionate and combative but it ends happily. It was nice to watch Lazaro get hooked on something other than his own ego.

Sunday, January 10, 2016

This book knocked my socks off! It had just the perfect blend of romance, humor, smut, magic, and suspense for me! I'm completely in love with this world and all the characters in it.

Ivie started her day as an engaged kindergarten teacher with bad luck on school field trips. While distracted by a hot vet on a farm field trip, she ends up in the mud and under assault from a goat. After fleeing and diving into a bottle of wine, she slowly begins to realize that her boring soon-to-be-husband is still not home. When he does get home, it's to break up with her and kick her out because he wants to marry his mistress instead! During a swear filled rant, Ivie ends up turning him into a skunk and thus begins her life as a witch.

Some assistance might have been nice, but it looks like there isn't any coming her way. The internet is also pretty much a bust, but she pins all her hope to a vague magic ad. Said magic ad comes from a guy with a sexy voice and an even sexier person. Jackson is a magician who is immediately smitten with Ivie. Witch or not, they are a wonderful pair of floundering magical people. Oh, and they seriously light the page on fire with their chemistry! These two (and Ivie's BFF) end up on a zany mission to transform Ivie's ex back into the horrible human he was. The hijinks were hilarious and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. We get an adorable HEA and the wish for even more from this world. What a wonderful read!

Saturday, January 9, 2016

The paranormal world that this series takes place in just keeps growing with each installment. Think you know all the things that go bump in the night? Well, how about gargoyles?

Dakota is a cowboy vampire that appears to be one of the only unmated pairs in town. He's defending their lives, but what he really wants is to break the hard outer shell of Trixie LaRoux. She's a firecracker who has a serious commitment phobia. Her past is less than stellar, dominated by instability and drug addiction, but she's determined to make the best of her afterlife by playing sentry for her only remaining human family. She does this in secret, of course, because for some reason it is against vampire law.

During Dakota's mission to see what lurks under Trixie's flippant exterior he is forced to face his own demons, too. Things that he has based pretty much his entire vampire career on are shaken to the core. Through all this, Dakota and Trixie learn to trust one another and grab happiness for themselves.

I have read some books from this world, but none from this particular series. With that being said, there was a little learning curve here, but nothing that make this unable to be read as a standalone novel.

Barney (ugh, the name kills me) is a Hunter who is determined not to follow-through with his mate. He goes through all the typical denial rationalizations - "it's too dangerous," "she's too young," "I don't want to be tied down." This is really a losing battle, though, because his predestined mate, Heather, is determined to push the issue. Why wouldn't she? They are supposed to be mates, right? Well, behind all this push and pull of the mating call there is a larger story at play. There have been white shifters showing up and coming to Halle more than ever in recent history. Muddied by urban legends and lost histories, no one really knows what the deal is with all the white shifters and Barney is tasked with solving at least one of the big riddles of this investigation.

Of course, Barney's "best intentions" for not mating Heather are eventually nullified and these two give in to fate. It might seem kind of inevitable, but Barney is pretty stubborn. Luckily, his internal bear has some sense. While working apart, nothing got solved and there appeared to be no answers on the horizon. When they work together, however, they finally seem to get somewhere with all the questions and riddles. While we don't get a solid resolution to everything, the ending is definitely a happy one.

Monday, January 4, 2016

Wow – after being somewhat let down by the Joshua book, this book that I didn’t even know I wanted blew me away! Who knew I wanted to read a story about Layne and Lizzie? They were two characters that I only knew about peripherally (if that) and I certainly did not want to get inside that grumpy boy’s head. There was so much more inside of them both, though, that I couldn’t put this book down!

We pick up this book exactly where the other one left off – Lizzie and Layne are kidnapped. While the last book is pretty clear about them being taken, this one leaves us to believe that they are thought dead. The most important part of the kidnapping, though, is that these two are trapped in close quarters with no way to escape. Layne is filled with all the angst. He has suffered a lot and has all the scars to show it. He doesn’t trust easily and he almost never shows his true feelings. Lizzie is a Seer who can get inside your head with touch. She can break down all of Layne’s barriers and see to the true him. This should be a match made in heaven, but for teenage reasons, they pretend to hate each other.

The characters in this book were definitely the highlight. It was like starting a brand new series that takes place in the same world (which I guess it is). The relationship between Lizzie and Layne wasn’t all we got in the story. We also got to meet other victims of the Society for Human Preservation’s master plan and watch them try to cope. Through all the stress and time in captivity, they grow to become their own type of family. There were some really awful bad guys in this one, but it balanced out with some really great good guys. I think this might be my favorite of this series.

If you’ve read any of the books that take place in this world, you know that the character who is the best at being mysterious is Joshua. I was super-duper excited that we finally got into his brain (and his world) with this installment of the series.

Joshua, the Immortal, doesn’t like to share a lot about his supernatural abilities. Sure, he’s good with computers and has a lot of varied knowledge, but who wouldn’t if they lived forever? We get a little look at why he is so tight-lipped in the last book, but here we get the whole enchilada. It seems like an ordinary night when Joshua hunts down some chocolate in the lobby and meets Ada. Ada has lived in town all her life (which just so happens to be the same town that Scout grew up in). She isn’t quite sure what to do with someone who doesn’t know all her secrets but is happy to chat with Joshua. He even offers to accompany her on a trip to break up a rowdy party. As is the custom of all alpha pack members, being there appears to muck things up and leaves Ada in the hospital believing things that shouldn’t be real.

These two are definitely the right match of stubbornness, strength, and passion. While Ada knows her life has an expiration date, Joshua suffers from the exact opposite problem. It seems like these two are cursed to suffer the most out of all the couples until fate intervenes. This was a sweet story that somehow managed to spin a very old immortal hooking up with a teenager in a way that I could accept it as normal. These stories just keep surprising me.

This book really brought me back to the cringe-worthy rollercoaster of YA romance. The pack member that gets highlighted in this one is Charlie. He’s suffered a lot and has generally been referred to as “broken” in one way or another since Alex’s death. Obviously you should not read these stories out of order, and if this is your first – I’m sorry. Seeing Charlie’s development and growth into the man he is today was part of why this book was so worthwhile to read.

Maggie has some pretty lofty goals, but has the dedication to achieve them all. Her life plan appears to be working out until she meets the dreaded Scout. She’d be willing to live with her nudity loving roommate and her grumpy boyfriend, but she can absolutely not accept being kidnapped by the alpha pack. Her background as a thaumaturgic makes it an even worse situation. Luckily, when she puts her foot down about dropping out of college, Charlie ends up being her bodyguard. While these two really clash (or rather, Charlie can’t stop lashing out at her), the passion is definitely there from the start.

Maggie is the free-loving artist that Charlie absolutely needs in his rigid, depressing life. Where he is focused on the bad, Maggie is focused on the good. They balance each other out in ways that might not immediately be apparent to them, but was fun to watch. This story was tough and hurt to read, but the ending made it all worth it. I wish this world would stop beating on Charlie more often and let us see him truly happy.

This short story was actually a collection of different POVs. It follows the meeting between Liam and Scout through to after Alex and Scout meet up. While it was interesting to see things from different points of view, it was pretty depressing. You know where everything ends up and that poor Alex doesn’t get a happy ending no matter how much he hopes for it. Destiny really messed with him. Of all the POVs, Liam was the most interesting, and probably only because you get so very little from him from other people. Most just view him as a grumpy old man, which doesn’t help you understand his motivations or feelings.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This short story anthology contained a mix of stories from the Demon Slayer world and the Southern Ghost one. I don’t think you really need to have read the series before, but it would help you get maximum enjoyment out of them.A Ghostly Gift:This is a short and sweet read to fill the gap between book 1 & 2 of this series. I highly recommend reading the series in order so you don't get accidentally spoiled.

Verity is still scraping along, but happily occupying her own home. She may have upgraded from ramen dinners to her sister's takeout "leftovers," but she is still lacking in the regular job department. While playing chess with her ghost BFF (as one does), her sister gives her a lead on a possible job offer. No, it doesn't involve using her graphic design skills. Instead, it uses her supposedly secret ghost management skills. She and Frankie take off for a second hand store that is being "broken in to" by ghosts.

This has a bit of a love story edge to it when Verity begins to solve this mystery. There are misunderstandings, lovers torn apart, and oodles of ghosts. I'm loving this world more and more with each new story installment.

Ghost of a Chance:This was another short story set in the world of Verity Long, (secret) ghost whisperer extraordinaire. The ghost we met in a previous tale comes back to ask a favor of Verity, who is very short on both time and money to help. Luckily, this one overlaps with a paying gig at a party and allows her to give a little bit of a gift to a pair of ghosts that are made for one another.

When she shows up to a party expecting a simple discussion, you know things are going to go wrong. Nothing is ever simple for Verity. While there was a distinct lack of her maybe-sorta-boyfriend, the story made up for it in familiar ghost faces. This was a cute redemption and reconciliation tale to read around the holidays.

Gentlemen Prefer Voodoo:This really wasn’t that short a story to me. It had all the makings of a heart-wrenching book that gave the reader a good rollercoaster ride through the life of Amie Baptiste.

Amie is the owner of a voodoo shop that specialized in love. It only makes sense that she is the one most desperately in need of it herself. After a lot of bickering, she finally listens to her mythical pet and works some magic on herself. Somewhere along the line, she ends up wishing for a specific dream man and not just some hypothetical one. Much to her surprise, he shows up naked and sort of a zombie.

Dante is Amie’s dream man, but she is terrified to admit it. He worked some magic after his death to make sure that he could be called back to life by his one true love. It seems pretty clear to him, but it is an uphill battle to convince Amie that they were meant to be. She’s got to take a leap and believe that he will catch her. These two have to really work at their HEA, but it is completely satisfying in the end.

I Brake for Biker Witches:

This was a super quick trip down memory lane. Lizzie is on the road between jobs when she and the biker witches run into a ghost from their past. They are literal ghosts because that’s the kind of life Lizzie leads. Even after death, though, life isn’t easy for members of Lizzie’s gang. She’s got to step in to defend the afterlife of said ghosts in a battle showdown unlike any other.

Date With a Demon Slayer:This was a cute, funny, short read that gives you a little yummy taste of the series that made me smile. It can easily be read in a few hours and is 100% pure enjoyment.

Lizzie and Dimitri are trying to celebrate their anniversary with a minimum of drama. This, of course, does not go as planned. How can they possibly expect to have a relaxing evening when their family of biker witches is right down the road? Their “normal” dinner turns into their more typical evening when they discover a dangerous haunting happening in the restaurant/inn. Though there is some excitement and magic, our favorite couple ends up celebrating their anniversary in the only way possible for a Demon Slayer and a Griffin. Oh, and Pirate helps in his own special way, too.

Some Like It Hexed:This short, adorable, silly, antic-filled, wild read is exactly what you expect to compliment this series. While I don't recommend reading this one if you have no other experience with the series, it probably wouldn't hurt too much.

Lizzie gets invited to a last minute Halloween party thrown by her biker witch friends - what could go wrong? Well, for starters, why would this be happening at a senior center? Oh, and why are there some more magical things happening in front of the normals? It wouldn't be a holiday if there wasn't the appropriate amount of magic and mayhem. The only thing missing from the story was the yummy Dimitri. This story, however, still managed to jam some sigh-worthy romance in with some unlikely participants. If you're looking for a quick, fun read that will make you smile - this is the story for you.

This was a super quick trip down memory lane. Lizzie is on the road between jobs when she and the biker witches run into a ghost from their past. They are literal ghosts because that’s the kind of life Lizzie leads. Even after death, though, life isn’t easy for members of Lizzie’s gang. She’s got to step in to defend the afterlife of said ghosts in a battle showdown unlike any other.

This really wasn’t that short a story to me. It had all the makings of a heart-wrenching book that gave the reader a good rollercoaster ride through the life of Amie Baptiste.

Amie is the owner of a voodoo shop that specialized in love. It only makes sense that she is the one most desperately in need of it herself. After a lot of bickering, she finally listens to her mythical pet and works some magic on herself. Somewhere along the line, she ends up wishing for a specific dream man and not just some hypothetical one. Much to her surprise, he shows up naked and sort of a zombie.

Dante is Amie’s dream man, but she is terrified to admit it. He worked some magic after his death to make sure that he could be called back to life by his one true love. It seems pretty clear to him, but it is an uphill battle to convince Amie that they were meant to be. She’s got to take a leap and believe that he will catch her. These two have to really work at their HEA, but it is completely satisfying in the end.

This was another short story set in the world of Verity Long, (secret) ghost whisperer extraordinaire. The ghost we met in a previous tale comes back to ask a favor of Verity, who is very short on both time and money to help. Luckily, this one overlaps with a paying gig at a party and allows her to give a little bit of a gift to a pair of ghosts that are made for one another.

When she shows up to a party expecting a simple discussion, you know things are going to go wrong. Nothing is ever simple for Verity. While there was a distinct lack of her maybe-sorta-boyfriend, the story made up for it in familiar ghost faces. This was a cute redemption and reconciliation tale to read around the holidays.

About Me

I read a lot. It's typically contemporary paranormal romance, but I sometimes deviate. I like to indulge in some silly, smutty reading to escape from my real job as a scientist. Reading is my anti-drug.